Who knew 17 years could go so fast? By the time it takes to send a kid to college, I’ve been toiling, mostly joyfully, at the Chronicle and SFGate.com. I am headed to KNBR 680-AM, where I will also be making radio appearances and occasionally filling in as a co-host and continuing as part of …

For his part, Hall of Famer Steve Young has suggested the key to Kaepernick’s career will be whether he masters the mental aspects of the position. In November, Young said that mastery requires intensive film study and typically has to be done in the offseason. …

Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Jaguars general manager David Caldwell could rejoin forces. The Jaguars have requested permission to interview Roman for their offensive coordinator opening, the NFL Network reported. Roman and Caldwell were teammates at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, and lived together when they broke in the NFL with the Panthers in the mid-90s. …

At the risk of plowing familiar ground, Jim Harbaugh’s mutual parting with the 49ers doesn’t sound as if it was, well, mutual. I know. You’re probably not picking your jaw off the laptop. But for those still in the dark, Harbaugh, again, all but stated this morning it wasn’t his decision to leave the 49ers. …

Since December 2010, Roman has interviewed twice for head-coach openings at Penn State and has also sat down with Stanford, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh and Tulane, which offered him a job during the 2011 season Roman turned down. He also interviewed last year for the Vikings’ opening that went to Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. …

For a coach who’s had nine jobs in his 30-year career in pro football, Vic Fangio hasn’t done much of this interviewing stuff. In fact, the 49ers defensive coordinator said in an interview for this story he’s never had a formal interview for any of his jobs. Instead, he’s landed his gigs because people who know him well have either vouched for him or hired him, making a formal sit-down unnecessary. …

The 49ers, Bills and … Raiders? Oh, my. Twenty six years he was fired by late Raiders owner Al Davis in a messy divorce, Mike Shanahan has interviewed with Oakland, NBC 4 in Washington D.C. reported. The Chronicle’s Vic Tafur has confirmed the Raiders have sat down with Shanahan. …

Austin, 49, has spent just one season as a defensive coordinator and the Lions ranked second in total defense (yards per game) after ranking 16th in 2013. Austin, who will interview with the Falcons on Wednesday, was the Ravens secondary coach from 2011-13. …